Fans of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbirdrejoiced in February when the famously reclusive author announced a forthcoming HarperCollins title, Go Set a Watchman.
However, rumors immediately circulated that Lee, now 88 and residing at an assisted-living facility, may have been burdened to release a book against her volition. The state of Alabama is currently investigating whether Lee was subjected to elder-care abuse in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala.
Given Lee’s literary stature, it is clear that any upcoming book would likely spell commercial success for the publisher, literary agent and author. However, Lee’s decades of withdrawal from the spotlight had fans and friends questioning if she had a genuine wish to publish the novel at all.
Caption from LIFE. Miss Lee pauses on balcony of local courthouse where she set climactic trial of a Negro who gets railroaded by small-town bigots. "The trial was a composite of all trials in the world - some in the South. But the courthouse was this one. My father's a lawyer, so I grew up in this room, and mostly I watched him from here."Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesHarper Lee visiting her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama, in 1961.Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Miss Lee inspects old house much like neighborhood mystery house in book. "I remember this as the old Hodge place. Now no one lives here, so a lot of the children call it haunted, and they use it as a clubhouse."Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. Reclining in chaise, she chats with father, Amasa Lee, 80, on screen porch. He was real-life model for her sage hero, Atticus Finch. "My father is one of the few men I've known, who has genuine humility, and it lends him a natural dignity. He has absolutely no ego drive, and so he is one of the most beloved men in this part of the state."Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. In hometown getup, she ambles in playground of school she once attended. "This was our favorite meeting place during recess and lunch. Here we had our fights, our marble games and hid our love notes."Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. At her father's law office where she wrote "Mockingbird," Miss Lee works on her next novel.Donald Uhrbrock—The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
